Pay Bills

Howdy, I am Christa Marti. I am a disabled veteran of the US Army, married to a combat veteran, with two teenage boys and have found myself at the bottom of the hill. I suffer from a condition known as psoriatic arthritis, and I have had six corrective surgeries in the past few years from this illness. I have spent 2022 either sick or trying to return to work and failing miserably. With my condition, I must self-inject medication that significantly lowers my weakened immune system. Let me explain further.

When the pandemic started in March 2020, I worked full-time as an afterschool instructor and tutor for elementary children. When the world stopped, my husband continued to work to support us. My place of employment shut down for some time, and I was a stay-at-home mom like many others experienced. My doctors advised that I do not catch any viruses and to stay at home until the vaccines begin to be distributed. However, once the vaccine was available, I was often too sick with infections to get doses. I started a small venture to grow as much food as possible to distribute to those who needed it. I gave away plants at the local level and offered to advise those who wanted to learn to grow their food. I made many friends. My husband supported me every step of the way, financially and mentally.

You can see my Facebook group here. The Good of Gardening

By Spring 2021, I knew my body was slowly failing me, and I adopted a puppy named Captain to train as my service animal. He is still with me and works daily to retrieve dropped items, hold me if I must bend over, or alert my family when I fall. I absolutely adore him and cannot imagine life without him.

In January 2022, I started a new medication for psoriatic arthritis and was instantly sick with multiple infections, some of which I still fight today. I had infections in both ears until April 2022, and I am now partially deaf in one ear, even after corrective surgery. I had corrective surgery on my right hand in April. Sadly, my garden slowly died. My previous employer contacted me to manage a summer camp for the children, and I returned to work at the end of May. After two weeks of camp, my knees gave up. My employer was lovely about my situation; he knew that I was not in the best of health at the time and often catered to my needs at work. By the fourth week, my tennitis had become a hindrance, and I scheduled corrective surgery for the beginning of August. I could no longer walk properly; some days, I could not drive myself to my appointments, and the depression of being a thirty-nine-year-old disabled person set in.

Meanwhile, my dear husband experienced a layoff from work for a few months in the Spring, and our savings was drained to afford bills and living expenses. He went back to work as a pipe fitter in July 2022. He, too, suffered his own ailments and required surgery on his left hand one week after my ear surgery. He managed to talk to his doctors to allow him to return to work only ten days after his surgery. We sat together in our bathroom and removed his stitches on our own so he could continue to work to support our family.

In the last few weeks, I have returned to work as an office manager and occasional tutor for the same institution, only working a few hours per week. Walking has enflamed my body and my illness, and I fear I will not be able to continue contributing to my family. We cannot afford bills, food, gasoline, car or health insurance, prescription costs, or anything. We borrowed money from our sons to help pay for the electricity. That is how desperate the situation has become. I have applied through several agencies and charities for assistance, but they often are not accepting new applicants or take several weeks to process. On some occasions, they require that I drive to the location on a first-come-first-serve basis. I am currently unable to drive. For several weeks, my orthopedic doctor has not responded to messages or calls to assist me with my knees, hips and shoulder. I spent the last Friday in the hospital for pain and swelling issues. I am supposed to see my Rheumatologist tomorrow, but I cannot afford the copay. Somehow, I am also supposed to drive to work even though I can not walk.

I am not one to ask for help from strangers, friends, or family. I find that our situation is dire, and I have no choice but to beg for help. I have decided to apply for Social Security Disability and to request reevaluation from the VA to gather monthly funds to contribute. I am typically very private, so this request results from sheer financial panic. I don't often complain about my ailments and try my hardest to make it day to day, but I see no other choice than to stop working.

I am happy to provide documentation of past-due bills upon request. Every cent donated will be spent on keeping our utilities on for September, vehicles not repossessed, car and health insurance active, doctor copays, medication copays, etc. I cannot offer anything other than my sincere gratitude for any donations at this time. However, once my swelling subsides, and I can paint and crochet again, I'd be happy to make you something in return for your contribution.